Electric railway signaling system.



No. 176,214. PATENTBD NOV. 29, 1904. M. A, BORN. ELECTRIC RAILWAYSIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPIIIOATIOH FILED MAR. 11. 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

r I I 5 hfwrryzys PATENTED NOVQZQ, 1904.

' M. A. BORN.

- ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

6 SuukN lp cgor PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

M. A. BORN.

ELEGTRIG RAIL-WAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1902.

a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

m W \MU R UNITED STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARION A. BORN, OF LAVVRENOEVILLE, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT ANDMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF PART TO EARLY W. BORN, OF NOR- (JROSS, GEORGIA,EDWVARD VANCE, OF BUFORI), GEORGIA, MILTON HOPKINS LOUDON, OF KANSASCITY, MISSOURI, AND EMMA BYLES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRIO" OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEIVI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,214, dated November29, 1904.

Application filed March 11, 1902.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,MARION A. BORN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lawrenceville, in the county of Gwinnette and State of 5Georgia, have invented a new and useful Electric Railway SignalingSystem, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railway signaling systems.

The object of the invention is in a simple, feasible, and thoroughlypractical manner to transmit electric signals over a length of track onwhich two trains are moving, the signal to be visual, audible, or bothcombined, as 5 may be desired, and at the same time in the event of thesignal not being seen or heard to effect automatic application of theair-brakes.

The underlying principle of the invention resides in the provision ofmeans by which 20 in a positive manner two trains on the same track andrunning in like or opposite directions shall be notified in ample timeto avoid a catastrophe.

Generally stated, the invention consists in 5 the employment of acontinuous exposed eonductor disposed adjacent to one of the rails ortracks and adapted by a traveling contact suitably connected with asource of electric energy carried by the cab or engine to re- 3 ceive acurrent of electricity of a predetermined resistance, the signalingapparatus to be responsive only to a current of a determined tension.Thus, for example, if it be desired to render the signaling apparatusop- 35 erable by a current of, say, ten ohms resistance the apparatuswill remain inactive until a part of the conductor is reached where thecurrent has such resistance, whereupon the apparatus will respond andperform the func- 4 tion for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature ofthe invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts Serial No. 97,779. (No model.)

of an electric railway signaling system, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, thereis illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention capable ofcarrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that theelements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape,proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from thespirit thereof, and in the drawings Figure 1 is a view exhibitingdiagrammatically the circuits and electrical generator associatedtherewith employed in carrying out the invention. Fig. 2 is a view inelevation, showing in outline a portion of a locomotive cab and tender,exhibiting diagrammatically the manner in which the apparatus isassociated therewith. Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of the tender,showing one manner of associating the trolley therewith. Fig. 4 is aview in plan of a part of the mechanismshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is aperspective detail view of a trolley with the parts thereof separated.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a suitablesource of electric energy, preferably a dynamo 1, which is driven by abelt 2 from a train of multiplying-gears 3, actuated from a belt 4,engaging a pulley 5, located in this instance on the front axle of thetender. As is well known, the armature of a dynamo has to make abouttwentyfour hundred revolutions a minute before it will generateelectricity, and under ordinary conditions, as when a train is runningat a speed of from five to ten miles an hour or somewhat greater, thedynamo would be inoperative for the purposes designed, and to obviatethis defect the multiplying-gear is employed, so that under relativelylow rates of speed of travel the dynamo will be rendered eflicient. Ofcourse if the desired speed can be imparted to the dynamo-armature whenan engine is running at the rate of four or five miles an hour it willbe obvious that when running at the rate of forty or fifty miles an hourthe speed of the armature would be excessive, and to obviate this thetrain of gear can be arranged in the usual manner to control the speedof the armature under all conditions, and as this will be readilyunderstood detailed illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary,especially as the precise arrangement employed forms no part of thepresent invention. The current from the dynamo is transmitted to a bareconductor 6, disposed adjacent to one of the tracks through the mediumof a trolley-wheel 7 carried by one member, 8, of a two-part trolley,the other member, 9, of which carries a trolley-wheel 10, that travelson the rail constituting the return. The members 8 and 9 of the trolleyare suitably connected with but insulated from a hanger 11, mounted in abearing 12 in the floor of the tender, the upper end of the hanger beingprovided with a handle 13, by which the position of the trolleys may beshifted according to the direction in which the train may be running.The upper portion of the hanger projects through a housing 14, in whichis arranged a spiral spring 15, one end of which bears against the upperwall of the housing and the other end against a disk 16, rigidly securedupon the hanger against movement, as by a collar 16, and operatingresiliently to hold the trolley-wheels in engagement with the conductorand the rail.

As a means for causing operative contact between the conductor and therail, or, in other words, to prevent the hanger from having any rotarymovement, the hanger is provided with a key 17, adapted for alternateengagement with oppositely-disposed slots or keyways 18, formed in thewalls of the hangeropenings of the housing, by which arrangement it willbe seen that under the action of the spring 15 the key will be kept inpositive engagement with whichever keyway it enters, thereby insuringpositive coaction between the trolleys and their contacts. Should it bedesired to lift the trolleys free from the contacts, this may beeifected by raising the key out of engagement with its keyway and thengiving the hanger a quarter-turn to bring the key upon an imperforateportion of the housing. The form of trolley herein shown will be foundthoroughly efficient for the purposes designed; but it is to beunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the precisearrangement shown, as other devices may be employed equally effective inoperation and still be within the scope of the invention.

Connected up in parallel with the dynamo is a series of lamps 19,preferably varicolored, a motor 20, and a cutout 21 for opening thecircuit when the air-brake lever shall have been shifted to apply theair-brakes. The conductor 22, which connects with the arm of thetrolley-wheel 7, is connected with one field of the dynamo, and theother field has connected with it a conductor 23 in circuit with oneterminal of each of the lamps 19, the latter conductor including aswitch 24, by which the lamps may be cut out of circuit when desired.The return-conductor 25, which is in circuit with the other terminal ofeach of the lamps, connects with the motor 20 and includes a rheostat26, thence with a switch 27, thence to the rheostat 28, and the latterwith the arm of the trolley-wheel 10, thereby completing the circuit.

The operation of the device is as follows: Suppose it be desired torender the apparatus responsive to a current of ten-ohms resistance in astretch of conductor, say, one mile long. The arm of the rheostat 28will be adjusted to this resistance, and the apparatus will then be inposition to perform its function. As soon as the engine starts to runthe dynamo will begin to generate electricity, and the current will thenpass to the conductor 6. Should an engine or train be on the same trackand coming from the opposite direction, (it being of course suppliedwith a similar apparatus,) as soon as it reaches a part of the conductorwhere the resistance is ten ohms the circuit will be completed and thelights in both cabs will be simultaneously flashed. It will beunderstood that the same result will take place if both engines arerunning in the same direction, thereby preventing tail-end collisions.

As before stated, in addition to the visual signal employed an audiblesignal, as a bell 36, may be included in the system and may be arrangedin the conductor leading from the lamp to the motor.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that although the deviceof this invention is exceedingly simple of construction it will inpractical operation be found perfectly efficient for the purposedesigned and may be relied upon for doing thorough and effective work.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway signaling system, the combination with thetraffic-rails, a continuous bare conductor disposed adjacent to one ofthe traffic-rails, a revolubly-adjustable hanger arranged on the car ortrain, and a pair of independent trolley-supporting arms carried by thehanger and having trolleys for engaging the conductor and one of thetraffic-rails.

2. In a railway signaling system, the combination with thetraffic-rails, of a continuous bare conductor arranged adjacent to andparallel with one of the traffic-rails, a springpressed hanger on thetrain, a pair of insubination With the traffic-rails, of a continuousbare conductor disposed adjacent to and parallel with one of thetraific-rails, a verticalguided spring-pressed hanger, a slotted housingfor the hanger, a locking device for bolding the hanger in eitherposition of adjustrnent, a pair of trolley-arms secured to the lower endof the hanger and insulated therefrom, and independent trolleys carriedby said 5 arms.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

MARION A. BORN.

Witnesses:

E. VVINN BORN, POWELL F. GRAY

